He's Gone: A Novel: A Novel

by Deb Caletti

From National Book Award finalist Deb Caletti comes an intensely gripping story about love, loss, marriage, and secrets—perfect for readers of Jodi Picoult, Kristin Hannah, and Anna Quindlen.
 
“One of the best books I’ve read all year.”—Barbara O’Neal, author of The Garden of Happy Endings

“What do you think happened to your husband, Mrs. Keller?”
 
The Sunday morning starts like any other, aside from the slight hangover. Dani Keller wakes up on her Seattle houseboat, a headache building behind her eyes from the wine she drank at a party the night before. But on this particular Sunday morning, she’s surprised to see that her husband, Ian, is not home. As the hours pass, Dani fills her day with small things. But still, Ian does not return. Irritation shifts to worry, worry slides almost imperceptibly into panic. And then, like a relentless blackness, the terrible realization hits Dani: He’s gone.
 
As the police work methodically through all the logical explanations—he’s hurt, he’s run off, he’s been killed—Dani searches frantically for a clue as to whether Ian is in fact dead or alive. And, slowly, she unpacks their relationship, holding each moment up to the light: from its intense, adulterous beginning, to the grandeur of their new love, to the difficulties of forever. She examines all the sins she can—and cannot—remember. As the days pass, Dani will plumb the depths of her conscience, turning over and revealing the darkest of her secrets in order to discover the hard truth—about herself, her husband, and their lives together.
 
“A thought-provoking and moving exploration.”—New York Times bestselling author Erica Bauermeister

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• ISBN10: 0345534352
• ISBN13: 9780345534354
• Publish Date: 14 May 2013
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Bantam Dell Publishing Group, Div of Random House, Inc
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 352
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780345534354

Reviews

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

He's Gone is a dark and compelling mystery that explores human emotions at its most vulnerable state. Deb Caletti embarks on the journey into adult fiction, with a new novel that will have you twisted and tied up into knots before it is even over. An addictive read that you won't be able to put down, it will suck you into the masterful world of lies, mistrust, deceit, infidelity, and discovering oneself in the aftermath. She tells one of the most complicated and complex stories, that I've read in the last few months. I was unable to put it down until the last page had been read.

It's one of the better written and more intriguing psychological mysteries that will keep you up all night thinking about it, long after you've read the last page. Caletti doesn't fail to capture the realness in human emotion when writing her characters. Her writing style is simply superb and works well, in this setting that she has created. It lends itself well to creating the backstory and keeping readers interested in the goings on.

The suspense will have you on the edge of your seat, trying to figure out what's to come next, as Caletti throws out another twist that will lead you to even darker places not yet explored. To say that this novel is psychologically thrilling, would be an understatement. But, as dark and suspenseful as it is, it's also heartbreaking and devastating too. The emotional factor alone, is enough to choke you.

The characters are incredibly interesting and complex in so many ways. The main character, is likable in some ways, sympathetic in others, and can sometimes be annoying when it comes to the self-hate. Recognition in oneself seems to be one of the stronger elements of this story. Although, it's not just recognition of oneself, it's recognition of many things in various different forms. Truth looks you in the face in so many ways, which is what made watching Dani's slow recognition of it, so fascinating to read about.

Fans of her young adult works, will not want to miss out on this novel by any long shot. I personally feel as if this is a great first adult book for Deb Caletti and I hope that she continues to write for this genre. I know that I will be more than happy to give any novel she writes a chance, since she writes them with such wonderful realism and emotion.